We recently set out for a hike to the summit of Frenchman’s Cap.

We weren’t quite sure how long we would be out there. Frenchman’s can be done in 2 days if you have great weather and lots of energy (runners will do it in 1!).

We like to take our time and slow down when we go on hikes so we had planned for up to 5 days.. maybe we would have to sit out some bad weather, maybe we’d want to enjoy a sunny day at Lake Tahune.. who knew, we planned to have the option (to see what we actually ended up doing check out our trail notes here https://wildislandadventure.com/like-to-hike/2023/9/4/3-day-frenchmans-cap-track)

Having said that, the duration of the hike doesn’t really affect the amount of gear we take, just the amount of food and fuel.

For this trip we did have a goal of minimising what we would usually take on a longer hike though – so we left behind a couple of things like:

-       Lightweight tarp (great if you’re camping out and it’s raining)

-       Bowls and a second pot

-       Battery pack and charging cables

-       Lightweight chairs

The only thing we missed just a little was the lightweight tarp. If we had it with us then we would have stayed out an extra night… the thought of being huddled inside the tent for the afternoon while it rained wasn’t exactly appealing, the tarp gives the ability to stretch out, sit outside and stay sheltered from the rain

I have put links next to some of the items in my list as I rate them highly and would recommend! I did the same for my Overland Track gear list and I still stand by them.

Here’s what I wore during the day:

Thin woollen sock liners

Sealskin socks - https://www.sealskinz.com/products/waterproof-cold-weather-mid-length-sock

Quick dry pants

Merino t-shirt

Merino long sleeved top

Windproof Vest

Leather boots

Gaiters, knee high - https://www.oneplanet.com.au/product/snake-gaiters/

Extra things I had for day wear/use:

Synthetic puffer jacket

Possum/Merino beanie

Sealskin gloves - https://www.sealskinz.com/products/waterproof-all-weather-ultra-grip-knitted-glove

Rain jacket - https://www.mont.com.au/products/austral-jacket-men

Rain pants

Hiking poles

Micro spikes

Here’s what I had for night time wear:

Nice thick woollen socks

Merino leggings

Softshell Pants

Merino long sleeved top

Merino long sleeved jumper

Down jacket - https://www.mont.com.au/collections/womens-down-jackets-and-down-vests/products/fusion-down-jacket-women-1

Beanie

Down booties

*the idea is that none of these items are worn during the day to ensure I have a full set of warm and dry clothes to change into once I’m in camp

Other Equipment:

Down filled sleeping bag - https://www.mont.com.au/products/zodiac-700-3-to-10-c-down-sleeping-bag

Exped sleeping mat - https://www.exped.com/en/products/sleeping-mats/ultra-7r?sku=7640445454612

Pillow - https://www.exped.com/en/products/pillows/downpillow?sku=7640171997810

2-person 3 season tent (shared with Oscar) – Big Agnes Copper Spur

Stove, 1 x pot and 2 x partially used 230g gas (shared with Oscar)
Mug and spork (we used the pot and pot lid as our bowls for eating out of)

3L Water bladder

Toilet paper and trowel

Sit pad – can’t give you a link for this, but just a piece of foam to sit on during the day is bliss!

Leatherman

Small first aid kit (shared with Oscar)

Toothpaste & brush

Kindle

Hip flask of special juice

3.4kg of Food + Snacks (shared with Oscar) —> menu to come!

Total starting weight – 17kgs

On reflection –

A 3 season tent was perfect for this trip – last year we were battling with condensation in a 4 season tent, the 3 season allows for much more airflow. While you do sacrifice a bit of warmth for the airflow it really wasn’t necessary – we were warm and snug in the 3 season.

There are huts at both Lake Vera and Lake Tahune. We found them to be far too warm for comfortable sleeping, and quite full of people – which is fine, but just makes for a noisy night. We opted to camp out both nights, using the Lake Tahune Hut for cooking in. If we stayed in both huts we wouldn’t have needed all the warm clothing we brought for night time and could have gotten away with sleeping bags that weren’t as warm. Having said that, I don’t believe it’s a good idea to rely on the warmth of the huts each night, you just never know what will happen during the day and you need to be prepared for the outside cold temperatures.

We didn’t need our micro spikes! It’s been a crazy warm winter down here in Tas so the mountain only had a couple of patches of snow and none on the trail itself.

If you’re just starting out, compiling all of this gear is going to be expensive!
Hiring gear is a great way to test out equipment, see what you like or don’t like and make an informed decision when it comes time to purchase your own.

Many of the items I have listed and used are available through our Hiking Gear Hire page https://wildislandadventure.com/hiking-gear-hire